History

Transformation of the

Colloqui Internazionali sulla vita salesiana

in

Forum Salesiano

Education, pastoral care, spirituality: yesterday, today and tomorrow

As members of the animation team of the Colloqui Internazionali sulla vita salesiana, an international study group of Salesians (first meeting in 1968) with the aim of thoroughly studying Don Bosco and enhancing the Salesian life, we would like to inform you of an important change.

In 1973 the seminar was for the first time open to Salesian Sisters, Cooperators and members of the VDB. The driving force behind the Colloqui for most of the time was Francis Desramaut SDB (France) in constant dialogue with several professors of the UPS.

At the end of the 26th Colloquio Internazionale in Berlin, 25 to 27 August 2011, the participants stressed at the same time the meaningfulness of this seminar and the necessity to reflect on the concept.

The animation team, that met in Rome January 27, 2012, to develop the new concept, proposed to replace the traditional title 'Colloqui Internazionali sulla vita salesiana' by a new name: 'Forum Salesiano. Pedagogia, pastorale, spiritualità: ieri, oggi e domani' (Salesian Forum: education, pastoral care, spirituality: yesterday, today and tomorrow).

The Salesian Forum aims at:

1. promote the salesian formation of the participants by organizing dialogue and collaboration between people in Europe who reflect on the Salesian tradition;

2. encourage systematic reflection - among scholars and people working in the field - about all aspects of the Salesian tradition (education, pastoral care, spirituality);

3. contribute to a consistent update of the Salesian educational pastoral project;

4. distribute the results of reflection and study;

5. promote the dialogue between the reflection of SDB and FMA on the preventive system;

6. contribute to the success of the European project.

From the very beginning the Colloqui Internazionali sulla vita salesiana had a certain degree of autonomy. We would like to keep the same autonomy for the Salesian Forum. Obviously we will continue to cultivate positive relationships with the General Council of the Salesians via don Fabio Attard, Councillor for Youth Ministry, and with the General Council of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians via Sister Maria Luisa Miranda, Councillor for the Salesian Family. We will try aswell to create good relationships with the salesian universities and formation centers in Europe.

Though aiming at maintaining a high quality, we do not want to create a closed group. We have no plans to form a parallel circuit and do not intend to resume what is already being done elsewhere.

The working model we adopt, presupposes active participation of all participants at the seminar.

The Salesian Forum is open to scholars in the field of education, pastoral care, spirituality, history, is open to SDB, FMA, lay people, members of the Salesian Family and all those who are directly engaged in the education of young people and are interested in deepening issues that are vital to the Salesian mission.

The meetings will be organized every two years.

A website will be available allowing communication between the participants and all other interested people. The official languages of the meetings will be Italian and English.

The first meeting of the Salesian Forum on 'How to practice reason in education' will be held in 2013 in Turin, Valdocco (Italy).